The UK’s leading premium sake brand, Akashi-Tai, is strengthening its position in the UK market with guided tastings and high-end cocktail collaborations.

Global sake exports reached near-record highs in 2025, with figures released by Japan’s Ministry of Finance showing an 8% rise in volume, hitting 33.55 million litres. Export values increased 6% to JPY45.9 billion (£219m), the second-highest level on record, with the value of sake exports doubling since 2020. Meanwhile, exports of sake to the UK have grown by 187% in value terms since 2020, with value expected to exceed £222 million by 2028. There, sales of Akashi-Tai sake – the leading premium brand – are up 26% year-on-year, underlining impressive demand.

Akashi-Tai is produced by the Yonezawa family in Akashi, a port city near Osaka, and one of Japan’s historic centres of sake production. The brewery, founded in 1856, has built its reputation on traditional, small-batch methods, using pure spring water and Yamadanishiki rice, known as the ‘king’ of sake rice. The brewery is led by fourth-generation sake master (or toji) Kimio Yonezawa.

Already popular with sake aficionados and curious Western consumers, Akashi-Tai’s core range includes classic junmai and ginjo styles, alongside sparkling sake and fruit-infused liqueurs like Yuzushu (yuzu) and Umeshu (plum), broadening its appeal beyond traditional sake drinkers.

Served chilled in a wine glass or in a cocktail, sake’s versatility is helping to engage a younger demographic, while its relatively low ABV favours moderation trends. All of Akashi-Tai sakes are gluten-free and vegan, with no added sugars, and reflect generations of craftsmanship.

A wide portfolio and key collaborations
Akashi-Tai Honjozo Tokubetsu’s robust profile opens it to gastronomic pairings.

Junmai Ginjo Sparkling (£15/£35, 30cl/72cl, 7% ABV) is made using the same method as Champagne, fusing traditional sake brewing methods with a secondary fermentation technique, with hints of lemon, peach and banana. Honjozo Tokubetsu (£23, 72cl, 15% ABV) is a lighter-bodied sake to which a small amount of alcohol is added prior to filtering, producing a longer, more robust finish, with notes of lemon, lime and straw.

Ginjo Yuzushu liqueur (£21, 50cl, 10% ABV) uses fresh yuzu to produce notes of grapefruit and has a sweetness complemented by yuzu’s tanginess. With the range balancing traditional brewing methods with contemporary innovation, Akashi-Tai has laid solid foundations in the UK, and is ideally placed to win over a new generation of sake lovers.

Akashi-Tai has already secured exclusive nationwide listings with major UK retailers including Waitrose (since July 2024) and Majestic (since October 2025), and is also available online via Amazon. Now it is increasing its on-trade presence with a series of activations to tie-in with Sakura season this spring – a key opportunity for retailers and venues to promote Japanese culture and products.

Cocktail partnerships will be rolled out at Sticks’n’Sushi restaurants in the UK, Germany and Denmark, while sake dinners with guided tastings will take place at Kibou venues across the UK. Meanwhile, Hiroyasu Kayama, the owner of Bar Benfiddich (voted Japan’s Best Bar 2025 by World’s 50 Best), is paying a visit to the UK, bringing Akashi-Tai sakes to the iconic China Tang restaurant at The Dorchester, as well as the Aubrey at the Mandarin Oriental and the famous Sexy Fish in Manchester.